I've said this before but I'll say it again: Vietnamese food may be the best cuisine out there, besides perhaps, Tokyo food, which I've yet to try. It is full of flavors, and more than that, very unique flavors like fish sauce with lime and chili, or lemongrass with soy sauce, or bitter, dark, smooth coffee with creamy, dense condensed milk. It is also full of variety. There are fantastic rice and meat dishes, soups, noodle soups, cold and hot noodle dishes, salads, rolls, etc. It is very healthy. Rarely ever greasy, fatty, etc., it relies on fresh noodles, minimal but high-quality protein, and rice in the form of crepes, noodles, or grain.
This week, I decided to go through Mark Bittman's selection of Vietnamese recipes in his book The Best Recipes in the World. I often think about Bittman's job. He cooks, blogs and writes about it, and receives the best tutelage from the world's best chefs (which involves traveling to foreign countries and eating out in those foreign countries). Ah, how did he get that job???
This book tells me why: he is a master of understanding and reducing a dish to its essence and writing recipes that any normal person can follow. I sometimes find Vietnamese recipes intimidating because it's rarely ever recorded in writing. Instead, it is taught from mother to daughter, through oral instruction but more importantly, through visual demonstration and multiple tastings throughout the process. Yet Mark miraculously captures these recipes in plain, simple English!
One of my favorite dishes growing up was Ca Kho, which is caramelized catfish. It's usually served in a hot stone bowl, crackling hot, with sticky caramelized fish sauce surrounding it. You eat it with a fresh scoop of white rice and a cup of soda chanh duong, which is club soda, fresh lime juice, and sugar.
The flavor is entirely unique. It has the distinct taste of fish sauce, which in and of itself is a culinary experience everyone should try, but somehow caramelized. I want to be careful about saying "caramelized" because it's not exactly sweet. It's just richer, darker, thicker, and more intense. Lots of cracked black peppercorn on top, cilantro to top, and you've got a delicious dinner. Nick said it was the best thing he's eaten in recent memory. I say it's better than what I remember eating as a child!
I used tilapia instead of catfish because I shop almost exclusively at Trader Joe's and couldn't find catfish there. It was a little different, the meat less dark, but I don't think it took away from the dish's flavor or authenticity at all.
5/5 Classic dish.
I LOVE papaya salad. I never understood or liked the idea of American salads (even the fancier ones like Southwestern Chicken or Cobb or Greek (I guess that's Greek)) because I grew up eating amazing salads like Mango Salad or Papaya Salad or Scallop ceviche on a bed of romaine. I think Vietnamese people ROCK at salads.
This papaya salad also had fabulous and authentic flavor to it. Vietnamese dishes often incorporate cilantro, mint leaves, bean sprouts, thai basil, and green onions in their dishes, whether it be as a topping for soup (delicious! I love putting a salad in my soup and letting it cook a little), as a side for rice dishes, or in this case, as a pure salad.
The papaya we bought was a little too ripe but it still tasted great. Nick got to use our mandolin slicer again! Yay!
I have all these recipes in my wonderful and fat book, given as a gift from my dear friend, fellow architect, and foodie-equal, Becs. :D Thank you, love!!! I am going to go through at least two more recipes this week before our three day getaway in Santa Barbara!!! Email me if you'd like them :)
